Various studies confirm that memory is consolidated with active involvement. The new guidelines prescribe exercise for the elderly
How should one study to remember the right answers to the questions? You can read the textbook in silence or read silently, but by moving your lips; or is it better to read the words out loud, if not to repeat them aloud to someone? The penultimate is the correct answer: the memory is stimulated to the best if we read aloud.
At least this is what Memory magazine ensures by publishing a study by the University of Waterloo in Canada. The authors explain that it is the “double action” of speaking and of listening to oneself talking helps the mind to store information so that it becomes a long-term memory. Previously the same group of Canadian scientists had dedicated themselves to the study of memorization. And they had baptized “production effect” the difference in favoring the memory of the words read aloud to the words read in silence.
This time the Canadian team asked 95 subjects to read in silence, to listen to someone else to read, to listen to the recording of themselves reading, and finally to read aloud there on the spot. In the end it turned out that to remember the words the most effective system is to read aloud. Colin MacLeod, director of the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo, observes: “The study confirms that one learns and memorizes better if there is active involvement “. But for practical purposes, this search for what brings?, he was asked. “If we talk about practical applications, beyond identifying the best way to study – replied Professor MacLeod – I am reminded of old people which is urgently recommended to practice crosswords and puzzles to preserve and strengthen memory. Well, following this study we also know that constant physical exercise and movement are beautiful bricks to sustain memory “.
NEW GUIDELINES FOR THE ELDERLY: MOVEMENT!
At this point we can find confirmation in another research carried out by the Mayo Clinic and published in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology which also gives news of the new guidelines for primary care physicians about the elderly with a slight cognitive impairment: do not be surprised if instead of medicine the prescription will be to exercise twice a week . “We have known for some time that constant exercise is good for the heart and the arteries and today we can say that it supports memory in people at risk on this level,” said Ronald Petersen, who led the research and who is director of the Center of Alzheimer ‘s researchat the Mayo Clinic, a non-profit organization in the United States. “What is good for the heart can also be good for the brain”, he concluded. For mild cognitive impairment (in English mild cognitive impairment) means an intermediate stage between the normal decline over the age and the much more serious decline linked to dementia . Symptoms may include problems of memory, language, thought and discernment that appear more consistent than the expected wear and tear only related to age.
AGE OR PATHOLOGY: SLOW DOWN
Generally these changes are not likely to interfere with everyday life and activities, but they could increase the risk of a subsequent slippage in dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease or other neurological conditions. However, various people never get worse and some, indeed, can improve. As the researchers of Dr. Petersen’s group have reviewed all the studies so far produced on the subject and have found, precisely, that exercise twice a week can be helpful in keeping the mind bright. The question at this point is: which exercise? The answer: aerobic type. And that is? Fast walking, jogging , any other similar thing as long as it is made for150 minutes per week , which can be 30 minutes for 5 times in the week or 50 minutes for 3 times. And the level of intensity, It must be such as to lead to the limit of sweating, but not so strong as to prevent conversation. These are fairly precise indications. As for cognitive tests in the strict sense, done with computer exercises or in small groups, Dr. Petersen warns that weak proofs have been found of their validity in slowing down mental decline.
AGING DOES NOT GO ON
Sixty-six percent of people aged 60 to 70 experience mild cognitive impairment worldwide, and 37 percent of those aged 85 and over. With similar numbers, observe scientists, identifying lifestyles that can slow down the process of mental weakening can really make a big difference for both individuals and society. “We do not have to look at aging as a passive process, which only suffers, because, instead, we can do something to change the course,” says Ronald Petersen. “If, let’s say, I am destined to become mentally weakened at the age of 72, I can do regular physical activity and move this threshold to 75 or 78 years. Look, it’s not cheap “.
Sleep and diet: sleep more to eat better
With an hour of extra sleep at night, it improves the quality of the diet and consumes less sweet foods
Sleep more to eat better. In this way, the conclusions of a study published by a group of researchers at King’s College London on the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition can be summarized. Dedicating the right hours to rest, in addition to being considered a valid antidote to obesity and the onset of metabolic disorders , is equivalent to a healthy intervention on lifestyle, measurable through a reduced intake of sweet foods and compliance with a scheme altogether more balanced dietetic: richer in fruit and vegetables , less in fats and proteins of animal origin .
WITH MORE HOURS OF SLEEP LITTLE SUGARS IN THE DIET
The researchers, intervening on a group of people and using another as a check to verify the differences, has evaluate the opportunity to increase the hours of sleep in a group of adults accustomed to sleep less than seven hours per night : considered the minimum necessary to have a restful sleep. In addition to this, they wanted to examine the impact of the increase in sleep hours on nutrient intake. More sleep (between 52 and 90 minutes per night), less (10 grams per day) simple sugars in the diet: the correlation has clearly emerged, as well as for the daily consumption of total carbohydrates (considering also the complex ones). The evaluation was made by crossing the information reported for a week in afood diary with sleep data collected from a motion sensor placed on the wrist of the study participants.
THE EFFECTS OF LITTLE SLEEP ON HEALTH
«The duration and quality of sleep are a subject of growing interest for those involved in public health, since there is no longer any doubt that they represent a risk factor for different conditions: from obesity to the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease , lower concentration ability to reduce sperm concentration , “says Haya Al Khatib, researcher at the Department of Nutritional Sciences at King’s College and principal author of research. “We have shown that sleep habits can be changed relatively easily in healthy adults, using a personalized approach. We hope to obtain similar results in the medium and long term: in this way we could define sleep as a valid remedy for obese people or who have a higher cardiovascular risk than the average “.
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